| Name |
Marcelo Balboa |
| Height |
6 ft 1 in |
| Naionality |
American |
| Date of Birth |
8-August-1967 |
| Place of Birth |
Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Famous for |
Soccer Player |
Marcelo Balboa is a retired American soccer defender who played in the 1990s for the U.S. national team, becoming its captain. After retiring from playing, he has worked as a commentator for ESPN and ABC and MLS games on HDNet and Altitude.
He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He is currently the head boys soccer coach for Monarch High School in Louisville, Colo. Marcelo Balboa anchored the American defense in the 1990 and the 1994 FIFA World Cups (his first cap came on January 10, 1988 against Guatemala). He was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 1992 and 1994. In 1995, he became the first U.S. player to break the 100-cap barrier. From 1987 to 1989, Balboa played the collegiate off-seasons on an amateur contract with the professional San Diego Nomads of the Western Soccer League. He was the 1988 WSA MVP. In 1990, Balboa began his professional career with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks of the American Professional Soccer League. In 1992, he moved to the Colorado Foxes. Marcelo played for León in the Mexican League in 1995 and 1996, before signing with Major League Soccer and the Colorado Rapids. Balboa played six seasons for the Rapids, leading as the team's all-time leader in many statistical categories. In 1998, he joined Tab Ramos and Eric Wynalda as the first U.S. players to play in three World Cups. Traded to the Metro Stars in 2002, Marcelo played only five minutes all year, sitting out the rest with injuries, and retiring afterwards.
Balboa ended his U.S. career with 128 caps and 13 goals, and his MLS career with 24 goals and 23 assists in 152 games. In 2005, Balboa was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI and elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame on the first ballot along with Nick Folan. In 2012, he was inducted into the Colorado Hall of Fame. Balboa was known for his bicycle kicks, a near miss in the U.S. win over Colombia in the 1994 World Cup; and a goal for the Rapids in 2000 against the Columbus Crew, named the MLS Goal of the Year for that season.
